For aircraft today, two alternate systems are typically utilized by pilots for exchanging air traffic control information with ground stations. One system is referred to as Future Air Navigation System (FANS). Access to the FANS application is provided by a human machine interface. The other system is referred to as Aeronautical Telecommunication Network (ATN). Access to the FANS application is also provided by a human machine interface. Presently, when a pilot enters into a particular air space, they would need to log into that areas air traffic control system, which could be either a FANS system or an ATN system. This decision introduces a point of confusion for the flight crew because they must log into the correct system. Integrating the two different systems however also creates the potential for pilot confusion because they would need to share “alerting” mechanisms that inform a flight crew when an uplink message is received. As such, a pilot may be confused as to which system to log onto and which system to go to after getting an alert.
For the reasons stated above and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the specification, there is a need in the art for improved systems and methods for integrated air traffic control management.